In Survivor, finding a hidden immunity idol used to be a good thing. It used to mean leverage in the game: Not only did it give a player the chance to save themselves at one tribal council, but the person who found the fateful beaded necklace could also use it to sway the rest of camp. “Don’t vote for me,” they’d warn. “I’ve got an idol. And I’m playing it tonight.” And then, because the rest of the camp knew that voting them out was a lost cause, the player would be safe for another week.
But there’s an important facet of idols that the Season 46 cast of Survivor seems to have forgotten: You do, eventually, have to actually play the damn thing.
(Warning: Spoilers for the penultimate episode of Survivor Season 46, “Mama Bear,” follow.)
